The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥

kiṃ tadbrahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama |adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate ||

Arjuna said: O best of beings, what is that Brahman? What is the inner self? What is action? What is called the realm of the elements, and what is called the realm of the gods?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन ।प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko'tra dehe'sminmadhusūdana |prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo'si niyatātmabhiḥ ||

Who is the lord of sacrifice here in this body, and how? And how are you to be known at the time of death by those who have controlled themselves?

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते ।भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥

akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo'dhyātmamucyate |bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ ||

Krishna said: Brahman is the imperishable, the supreme. Its presence in each being is called the inner self. The creative force that brings beings into existence is called action.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् ।अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam |adhiyajño'hamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||

The perishable world of things is the realm of the elements. The cosmic Person is the realm of the gods. And I myself, present in this body, am the lord of sacrifice.

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् ।तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥

yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram |taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ||

Whatever state of being a person remembers when leaving the body at the end, that very state they reach, Arjuna, because they were always absorbed in it.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना ।परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥

abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā |paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan ||

With a mind trained by steady practice that does not wander elsewhere, a person who keeps thinking of the supreme divine Person reaches him, Arjuna.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः ।सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥

kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāramaṇoraṇīyāṃsamanusmaredyaḥ |sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpamādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||

One should remember the one who is all-knowing and ancient, the ruler, subtler than the subtlest, the support of all, of a form beyond thought, shining like the sun beyond darkness.

प्रयाणकाले मनसाचलेनभक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव ।भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥

prayāṇakāle manasācalenabhaktyā yukto yogabalena caiva |bhruvormadhye prāṇamāveśya samyaksa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam ||

At the time of departure, with a steady mind, filled with devotion and the strength of yoga, placing the life breath fully between the eyebrows, such a person reaches that supreme divine Person.

यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्तिविशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः ।यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्तितत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥

yadakṣaraṃ vedavido vadantiviśanti yadyatayo vītarāgāḥ |yadicchanto brahmacaryaṃ carantitatte padaṃ saṃgraheṇa pravakṣye ||

I will briefly tell you about that goal which knowers of the Veda call the imperishable, which seekers free from passion enter, and for which people live a life of brahmacharya, self-restraint.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च ।मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥

sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca |mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām ||

Closing all the gates of the senses, holding the mind in the heart, placing the life breath in the head, and steady in the concentration of yoga,

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् ।यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥

omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran |yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||

uttering Om, the single syllable that is Brahman, and remembering me, whoever departs leaving the body reaches the highest goal.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् ।नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥

māmupetya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam |nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||

Having come to me, these great souls who have reached the highest perfection do not take birth again in this passing world, which is a home of sorrow.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन ।मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥

ābrahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino'rjuna |māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ||

All worlds, up to the world of Brahma, are subject to return, Arjuna. But after coming to me there is no rebirth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः ।रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥

sahasrayugaparyantamaharyadbrahmaṇo viduḥ |rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ te'horātravido janāḥ ||

Those who know the true measure of day and night understand that a day of Brahma lasts a thousand ages, and his night also lasts a thousand ages.

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥

avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame |rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake ||

When Brahma's day begins, all visible things come out of the unmanifest. When his night comes, they dissolve back into that same unmanifest.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते ।रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥

bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate |rātryāgame'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame ||

This same host of beings, coming into being again and again, helplessly dissolves when night comes and appears again when day comes, Arjuna.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः ।यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥

parastasmāttu bhāvo'nyo'vyakto'vyaktātsanātanaḥ |yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ||

But beyond that unmanifest there is another, eternal unmanifest reality, which does not perish even when all beings perish.

अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् ।यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥

avyakto'kṣara ityuktastamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim |yaṃ prāpya na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama ||

That unmanifest is called the imperishable, and it is said to be the highest goal. Those who reach it do not return. That is my supreme abode.

पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया ।यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥

puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā |yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṃ tatam ||

That supreme Person, in whom all beings dwell and by whom all this is pervaded, can be reached through devotion directed to nothing else, Arjuna.

यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः ।प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥

yatra kāle tvanāvṛttimāvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ |prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ||

Now I will tell you the times at which yogis who depart either do not return or do return, Arjuna.

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥

agnirjyotirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam |tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ ||

Fire, light, day, the bright half of the month, the six months of the sun's northern course: those who know Brahman and depart by this path go to Brahman.

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् ।तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥

dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam |tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate ||

Smoke, night, the dark half of the month, the six months of the sun's southern course: the yogi who goes by this path reaches the light of the moon and returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते ।एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥

śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate |ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayāvartate punaḥ ||

These two paths of the world, the bright and the dark, are considered eternal. By one, a person goes and does not return; by the other, a person comes back again.

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन ।तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥

naite sṛtī pārtha jānanyogī muhyati kaścana |tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna ||

No yogi who knows these two paths is ever confused, Arjuna. So at all times be steady in yoga.

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैवदानेषु यत् पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् ।अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वायोगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caivadāneṣu yat puṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam |atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvāyogī paraṃ sthānamupaiti cādyam ||

Whatever merit is said to come from the Vedas, from sacrifices, from austerities and from giving, the yogi who knows this goes beyond it all and reaches the supreme, original abode.